The present invention relates to fastening devices and more particularly to a tool for applying a clip to a mounting bracket for fixedly mounting on an engine a remote control cable that controls the speed of the engine.
The speed of small internal combustion engines employed with lawn and garden equipment, such as lawn mowers, is typically controlled by a remote speed control cable having one end connected to a remote speed control lever movable by an operator and its other end connected to a speed control lever on the engine. Such remote control cables generally employ a control wire slidably contained in a surrounding casing. The casing may be metal, plastic and/or combinations thereof depending upon the particular application.
Various types of cable clamps may be employed for attaching the remote speed control cable to an engine component. One such clamp includes a clip member removably attachable to the cable casing having a body extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cable. The clip member is substantially U-shaped with each side of the U having a bifurcated end defining a pair of legs having aligned cable-receiving openings dimensioned to tightly engage the casing of the cable. Each cable-receiving opening has a constricted middle section forming a throat and is similar in shape to an hour glass.
Such clips may be employed with a mounting bracket projecting from an engine component which includes an upstanding support member about which opposite sides of the U-shaped clip member are disposed. The clip member is prevented from moving axially on the mounting bracket by the bracket itself, and a pair of vertically spaced apart projecting bosses on the outer end of the upstanding bracket member prevent lateral and/or rotational movement of the clip member.
In order to assemble the clip member on the mounting bracket, a tool such as a hammer is typically employed in such a manner that after the cable is properly manually positioned the clip member is struck with the hammer to drive the clip member onto the mounting bracket. Such a manual process is relatively slow and may result in injuries to a user's fingers and/or hand due to the need to physically hold the clip member in position while striking it with the hammer. It is therefore desirable to automate the assembly process and provide a power operated tool that could easily be properly located with respect to the bracket in order to quickly and accurately apply a fastener about the bracket.